Today we’d like to introduce you to Matt Pasini.
Hi Matt, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
As someone who was adopted as a brown person into a white family, on top of being a queer kid and undiagnosed Autistic, I have always felt like an outsider. Growing up, my family and neighbors didn’t look like me, and I had trouble connecting to other kids because I didn’t understand social cues. So, I did what most people my age did when they didn’t fit in at school or home and turned to the internet. I began a YouTube channel called ItzJustGabby, but then, when I came out as transgender, my channel became HyperMatt14. I realized I loved entertaining, and I loved being an advocate and making little comedy sketches and commentary videos. I began taking classes at The Barrow Group in NYC as a teen, and shortly after, I signed up with my first manager. I fell in love with film and TV. I began taking more ongoing classes and entered the industry professionally at just 14 years old, about a year after I came out, and it was both terrifying and exhilarating. That first manager at the time, before he passed away, played such a big role at building my confidence, especially post-coming out, enough to submit for my very first male roles. Fast forward to now, over a decade later, and I stand so confident in my trans identity in the industry. I have joined many of my colleagues in pioneering more representation of transmasculine folks in acting. I even moved from NYC to L.A. and became bicoastal, a very big dream of mine in which I am currently thriving.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It definitely has not been a smooth road. Not only have I struggled with transphobia in the industry, when I turned 20, I experienced unexpected homelessness after being kicked out. This threw a wrench in my career: things had to be put on pause, I needed to figure out how to acquire housing fast in the dead of NYC winter, and I was in mental and physical anguish every day from the family abandonment. On top of all that, I was under so much stress that the symptoms from my autoimmune disease got worse, and my health tanked. Once I found housing, a tiny studio I shared with a friend, it became much easier to get my health back on track. I then dove headfirst into acting again, taking roles all over NYC until finally; I moved to L.A. to pursue more comedy and sitcom pieces.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a nonbinary actor based in Los Angeles, California, who specializes in deadpan comedy. I have always made the joke that my Autism fuels my comedic skills. Sometimes, when I try and crack a joke, my tone is super flat accidentally and makes it so much funnier. Aside from that, I am an advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community, as well as for mental health and neurodivergency. I think what sets me apart from others is my drive. I never listened to any of the voices in my life that told me to give up on my hobbies and dreams. I’ve had teachers, family members, friends, and complete strangers try and pick apart my life to insult me and tell me why I wouldn’t be successful at anything I put my mind to. But I dug my heels in and kept pushing forward, especially with the support of a good group of real friends. Even today, they still ground me anytime I encounter negativity like that. I’ve always figured things out with the help of community, overcoming any obstacles that stood in my way. Now I am acting full time and healing my inner child by learning to skateboard too. I think I am most proud of the speeches that I’ve given regarding transness in media. I’ve spoken in educational and even medical settings about what it was like to be trans in the industry during my formative years. Because of that, I’m very committed to creating a safer and inclusive space for trans youth who want to pursue their dreams in film and television.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you.
I think I’ve gotten lucky in the sense that my team and my friends are a huge part of why I’ve made it this far. Meeting them all when I needed to seems like both random chance and fate. I’ve also had a lot of bad luck, whether it’s getting horribly sick right before a big audition or having to push back production due to a health flare-up. I’ve even, weirdly, been on a train that derailed just as I was on my way to a callback. Even so, I feel like the universe has a plan for me, and that includes good and bad things in balance, so I just take whatever life throws at me with grace.
Contact Info:
- Website: mattpasini.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattpasiniofficial
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/hypermatt14
Image Credits
A Klass
Sara Jackson
Lio Mehiel
